Air Force officials have reactivated the 345th Airlift Squadron at Keesler AFB, Miss., to work with Air Force Reserve Command’s 403rd Wing in operating C-130J transports from there. This pairing is one of the Air Force’s new active associations. 345th AS personnel will work alongside their Reserve counterparts in Keesler’s 815th AS and 403rd Maintenance Group to fly and maintain initially eight, and eventually 10, AFRC C-130Js. “We have three goals: to create a new and outstanding squadron, to seamlessly integrate with the 403rd Wing, and then execute the mission for which we’ve trained so many hours,” said Lt. Col. Craig Williams, 345th AS commander, during the unit’s Aug. 6 activation ceremony. The 345th AS is organized under the 19th Airlift Wing at Little Rock AFB, Ark. (Keesler report by Capt. Joe Knable)
President Donald Trump is proposing a 13 percent increase in defense spending for fiscal 2026, growth that could mean the first ever $1 trillion defense budget, according to a document obtained by Air & Space Forces Magazine.